And they were back
by HarmonyAlways
Summary: Harry thought he was done with trouble. But trouble had a huge crush on Harry. It follows him everywhere... Let's see how it manages to intrude in his life after the war... Especially in the form of Hermione Granger.. Vodly's back! Sort of... Scratch the original epilogue... Post war...
1. Hermione for your thought?

_**Hey! This is my first attempt at fanfics... So, please be kind... But, I'm open to helpful criticism... Please R &R**_

 ** _I do not own Harry Potter or else everyone would have been alive and Draco would be snogging Hermione senseless in a broom closet... Well, that's another story... The first line is from the original book..._**

 ** _I hope you guys enjoy..._**

 _ ****"And quite honestly," he turned away from the painted portraits, thinking now only of the four-poster bed lying waiting for him in Gryffindor Tower and wondering whether Kreacher might bring him a sandwich there, "I've had enough trouble for a lifetime"****_

But apparently, trouble had a huge creepy crush on Harry James Potter...

The great hall (or what was left of the great hall to be precise) had been rearranged to take shape of a huge hospital wing. All the warriors who had sacrificed their lives for the wizarding world had been moved to a huge classroom where they were placed on golden beds. Kingsley, Slughorn and McGonagall had examined Voldemort's body for any signs of life, however minute it might be, but found no such thing to everyone's relief. They decided to let the Chosen One decide what is to be done with the body of the vile creature and left him in on the floor near a toilet.

Everyone had decided to take a nap (or rather forced to have a lie down by one Molly Weasley) after everything seemed to have calmed down. Mrs. Weasley had insisted that nothing good would come of physical exhaustion. So, all the students and teenagers were sent up to dormitories, irrespective of which house, to take a well deserved break.

Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived Again, was half sitting and half dozing on the floor in front of Dumbledore's portrait. Kreacher had brought him sandwiches and coffee which he has devoured with his best friend Hermione Granger, who was sitting next to him with her head on his shoulder. They felt at peace. Ron had gone down to support his family and the two were left alone to support each other as they had no family at the moment.

Suddenly, Harry voiced a question which had been forming in his tired brain.

"So, you and Ron are finally together?"

Hermione was startled, but answered calmly, "I'm not sure Harry.."

"Isn't this what you wanted?"

Hermione stared at the opposite wall without a word. Thinking that she may not have heard the question, Harry was about to ask her again when suddenly McGonagall entered the office, followed by a panting Slughorn.

McGonagall looked at her former students with barely hidden emotions.

"Harry, when you feel up to it, could you come down to the lobby with Hermione? We need to settle a few things."

Both the teenagers stood up instantly and witnessed something they wouldn't have imagined in their wildest dreams. McGonagall came up to them and gave them a hug that could rival Mrs. Weasley!

As they all climbed down the stairs, a tornado of thoughts was forming in Harry's mind. Ginny had come up to the office earlier and dragged him out for a "passionate kiss" but Harry felt that it was different. There was no spark; no monster within him. He realized that he was no longer in love with Ginny. Was he ever in the first place? He couldn't just lie to her. He couldn't give her false hopes. So, he decided to be honest with her but Ginny interrupted him.

"I know; I feel the same. I love you Harry. But I'm not in love with you. I guess I was so hung up on the idea of loving you that I fell short towards actually loving you the way you deserve."

"Thanks Ginny. I love you too and I'll always be there whenever you need me. So… friends?"

Ginny smiled and gave him a warm hug. "Of course! Mr. Savior-of-the-wizarding-world!"

They both had laughed and Harry felt ten times lighter.

But now, his mind was heavy with newly found thoughts about one Hermione Granger. The moment he had seen her kissing Ron in the Room of Requirements, his monster had awoken with a fury so strong, he was afraid he would hex Ron till eternity! He could not understand why he had such a feeling. Besides, at that precise moment they were quite preoccupied with the war and he didn't have time to ponder his thoughts. But now that there was no threat of a Mad-mad behind his neck, Harry had time to contemplate what he thought of his best friend.

He was happy that she was alive. Scratch that; he was frigging relieved that she was there next to him in one piece and would thank all the gods responsible for her well being.

He looked at Hermione and she gave him a tired smile. He noticed that they were holding hands. It seemed so... normal. He never wanted to let go. Harry stared at her. She had never left his side. She was so beautiful, so brave and not to mention the brightest witch of her age. It wasn't irrational to fall in love with her...

What a minute... Did he just think that he was in love with his female best friend? No! That's preposterous!

'And so very true', his subconscious sighed.

'No, that can't be...'

'Why not?', the voice in his head, which sounded suspiciously like the witch next to him, fired back.

'Think about it, she is the one you've always opened up to. She erased her parents memories, volunteered for the horcrux hunt, almost died at the hands of Bellatrix and saved your arse more times than you could count! You are in love with Hermione Granger!'

'No, she's like a sister.'

'Could have fooled me.'

'Stop bugging me!'

'I'm your subconscious. It's my job!'

"Harry?"

"WHAT?" Harry realized he had just snapped at Hermione (the real one, outside his head).

"Sorry. What were you saying?"

She smiled at him and his heart melted. Gosh! He was in trouble!

"You have to decide what is to be done with Voldemort's body."

She placed her hand on his cheek and he subconsciously leaned towards it. Her touches felt so different after the realization had hit his head like a rouge bludger. After her hand left his cheek he felt it's absence strikingly.

He was in very serious trouble...

Suddenly, a gasp from Hermione brought him back to reality. He followed her line of sight and found a book peeping from the pocket of Voldemort's robes. He saw Hermione bent down to take the book. As soon as she touched the book, it emitted a blinding blue light and the next second, Hermione was sucked inside.

The last thing Harry heard was Hermione screaming his name before he himself collapsed and passed out.


	2. Big Trouble

**_This chapter is a bit short... But the next one will be lengthy... Please R &R.. It helps..._**

 ** _Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling..._**

"Hermione..."

Harry woke up with a start. He realized that he was lying on the floor, facing the ceiling, and could see Kingsley, McGonagall and Mr. Weasley pointing their wands at his right. He sat up and noticed the book lying next to Voldemort's body and the previous events came rushing back to him.

"HERMIONE!", he screamed.

He couldn't bear the thought of her absence. She meant everything to him. He wanted to shout at her for being so goddamn stupid at the last moment... He wanted to hold her in his arms again... He wanted to tell her how much he loved her and how extremely idiotic he was to not have realized it earlier...

He felt a soft hand on his shoulder.

"We'll get her back Harry. Don't worry", Luna assured him.

But it didn't make Harry less worried. He wanted his Hermione back... He'll worry later regarding when she became 'his' Hermione...

Harry stood up and reached out for the book in desperation, hoping he would would somehow reach Hermione...

"Harry NOOOO..!" he heard McGonagall scream.

Harry didn't care. He wanted Hermione to be safe. He wanted her back. She deserved better than this...

But nothing happened. The black book lay still in his hands. He flipped through the empty pages and even stared at the cover, willing it to show something, but in vain. He closed the book shut and it slipped from his hands to land on Voldemort. As soon as it made contact with the body, it started glowing.

Voldemort's body started to stir. Everyone stood horrified at the sight. Harry couldn't feel the connection in his scar anymore but felt a different pull towards the figure.

Harry knew that he should be scared... Terrified that Dark Lord was now attempting to sit up... But he felt nothing but shocked. He didn't feel that hatred boiling in him... He somehow felt at ease...

Then as soon as Voldemort opened his eyes, everyone understood why...

They weren't cat-like anymore... They didn't seem frightening, at all... They seemed almost friendly and slightly bewildered...

They were brown... Chocolate brown... The same like that of...

"Hermione?"


	3. She's back!

_**Hey, sorry to have kept you waiting... Those who don't like Ron bashing should avoid this chapter... Please please please review... It helps.. Even if it'd negative...**_

 _ **I do not own Harry Potter... I'm just a fan of our Queen :-)**_

"Harry..."

If he hadn't seen the moving lips, Harry wouldn't have believed it. That was Hermione Granger's voice coming out of Voldemort's mouth!

Everyone around seemed to have come to a standstill. Was this some kind of trap?

But Harry immediately knew that this was his Hermione, somehow trapped inside the mad man's body. He could somehow sense her presence in front of him.

Voldemort's body looked at itself, shocked… It touched its face and let out a high pitched scream that sounded just like Hermione's.

"Harry, what happened? Why am I in Voldermort's body?"

Harry desperately wished that he had answers to her questions. He looked around him. Everyone else was looking at the sight in front of them with shock. No one seemed to believe their eyes. They all thought that this was all a trick. They looked at the person with disgust and hatred.

Harry wanted to reach out and comfort her. He wanted to tell her that it'll be alright. But could he comfort the body of his parent's murderer? Could he look past the fact that it was just Voldemort's body? He stared at those pleading eyes. It took just one second for Harry to take his stand.

This was Hermione, his best friend, and the woman he was in love with. He simply could not abandon her just because she's trapped inside a killer's body.

Harry held out his hand. "It's alright Hermione. I know it's you. We'll figure out a way to solve this... As always…"

It felt awkward when a sickly hand held him but that thought was lost when suddenly there was a flash of blinding light and Harry fell backwards and felt a weight fall on top of him.

The first thing Harry noticed was that his left hand was touching something soft. He opened his eyes and saw two shiny brown eyes staring back and a smile he could recognize anywhere…

"Harry…"

"Hermione! You're back! I was so scared…"

"Yes. Umm… Harry, your hand is on my…"

Harry realized that he was definitely not holding Hermione's arm. He immediately let go and Hermione got up from on top of him. Everyone around sighed with relief. Voldemort's body lay motionlesson the ground. McGonagall came forward and castsome spells on Hermione to check for any signs of dark magic on her. She found none and turned towards the body, checking for any signs of life.

"Hermione!"

Harry got up and saw Ron walking towards them, his expression forbidding.

"What the bloody hell were you doing on top of him?"

"Ron… I just fell after I got sucked out of Voldemort's body…"

Ron yanked Hermione by her forearm and shook her roughly.

"YOU ARE MINE. You'll have nothing to do with him. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

Harry could see that Ron's grip was hurting her and he couldn't stand that. He pushed Ron away from her and stood in between them. He put a protective arm around her and felt good when he noticed she leant towards him.

"She's NOT a property."

"You stay out of this Potter… I know you broke up with my sister and now you're after what's mine… You always get the best… Now you want the silly bookworm too?"

Harry felt Hermione shaking. But he soon found out that it was not out of fear, but rage. She had her wand out within seconds and was pointing it straight at Ron's face.

"Did you just say ' _what's_ ' yours? I am a ' _what_ ' to you? And as far as I remember, this 'silly' bookworm saved your ungrateful arse numerous times. You know what? You're not worth my time. I don't know why I even bothered to care about you when all you ever did was frigging berate me whenever you got the chance. Now get out of my sight before I hex you to hell"

"You can't hurt me. You love me."

"Not anymore. You had your chance Ron and you blew it worse than Seamus's spells."

"But that kiss…"

"That meant nothing. I thought I could find love in that kiss. But all I found was lust and smugness. Did you think I wouldn't notice? You were looking at Harry to see whether he got jealous or not."

"No…. That's… that's not true… Hermione, I love you…"

"You never loved me Ron. You've only wanted to conquer me. Now, leave… I'm done making excuses to forgive you…"

Harry could see that Ron wanted to protest. But even the teaspoon brained redhead had enough sense to back away from Hermione's wand range.

Hermione lowered her wand and turned towards Harry. He could see tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Her moved forward and hugged her. She buried her face on his chest and sobbed softly while Harry rubbed her back.

After some time, Hermione looked up. She wasn't crying anymore. Harry wiped the tears from her cheeks with one hand. His other arm was still around her. She smiled at him. They were so close together. Harry could almost count her eye lashes. He glanced towards her lips. They looked so kissable, so tempting. Was it just him, or was Hermione actually staring at his lips too? He leaned forward…

"Ah-hem"

Someone cleared their deep throat and Harry and Hermione split apart in seconds.

Dammit! Harry inwardly cursed Kingley.

"Harry, as much as we are happy to see Hermione safely back, we have to attend to something important. Lucius Malfoy has recognized that book as the one Voldermort was desperate to destroy. That book seemed to have caused him great trouble. We need to find out what bother him so much."

Suddenly, Hermione gasped.

"Harry. It's the Deathly Hallows' symbol!"

"Where?"

"On the cover. Can't you see?"

Harry stared at the book. He saw nothing.

"Hermione… there's nothing on the cover. It's plain black."

"But it's so clear…"

Everyone else, with eyes squinted eyes, tried to look at the book.

Then she realized that only she could see the symbol. She turned the pages and found runes scribbled on them.

Harry saw Hermione stare at the blank page of the book with high concentration. But she wasn't staring. She seemed to be reading something that only she could see. She looked so adorable when she was on her bookworm mode. And her eyebrows furrowed in the cutest of ways.

Suddenly, Hermione looked up at him with a thousand watt smile which disarmed Harry off his senses. She was so excited that she was almost jumping up and down..

"Harry! We need to get Professor Snape's body!"

Everyone just stared at her….

We are all in very serious trouble…

 _ **A/N: I'm a fan of ridiculously happy endings... So, this is in no way over... The little small writing box it crying... It won't stop unless you write a review in it...**_


	4. For the Greater Good

_**Sorry again for keeping you guys waiting. Thank you for the encouraging reviews. Well, here's the next one. Please R &R.**_

 _ **I do not own Harry Potter. I'm just a fan...**_

Harry was worried.

"Hermione, you must be exhausted, physically and magically. Maybe you're not thinking straight…"

Hermione looked at him in a puzzled way. She frowned, thinking that he didn't trust her. Was that some amount of hurt in her eyes?

"Sorry… I just… Why exactly do we need Snape's body?"

Hermione pointed towards the book in her hand.

"This is the Book of the Deathly Hallows, written by the Death himself. I can see why Voldemort wanted to destroy it. This book contains instructions to reverse….."

Harry could see her lips moving but couldn't hear her voice. She tried to speak again but no sound came out. Then she realized something.

"This book must be jinxed so that I may not speak about the book's intentions. It does defy the law of nature and fate after all… But, I can assure you Harry, no one will be harmed. This is the for the Greater Good. Please trust me on this."

"I've never doubted you Hermione and I'm definitely not starting now."

Hermione smiled at Harry which made him realize that he would do anything for this woman…

"Alright Harry, we need three people. According to the book, we need:

The one who deceived the Dark Lord

The one who rebelled against the Dark Lord

And one who was forced to accept the Dark Lord.

We need small amount of their blood."

"Alright, I understand why we need Snape. He fulfills the first description. And as for the second, any one of us is suitable…"

"I'll do it Hermione"

Everyone turned towards the voice and found Neville Longbottom slightly limping towards them, Mrs. Longbottom by his side. Hermione hugged Neville, which surprised him a bit.

"I think you'd be perfect for this."

"Thanks. So, how do we proceed?"

"First, we need to get Professor Snape's body right here, next to Voldemort's body. Then we need the third person. And I need… Harry, do you have the other wand with you?"

Harry nodded and took out the elder wand from his pocket. Suddenly Hermione raised her wand at him… "Expelliarmus!"

The wand flew from Harry's hand and Hermione caught it.

"Hermione!What…."

"Really sorry Harry, I had to make sure that the wand listens to me properly in order to complete the task. Though I have no doubts regarding you magical abilities, I'm pretty sure you won't be able to decipher these runes and perform the rituals simultaneously. I have no other intentions. I'll place the wand where you wanted to, after the task at hand is completed."

Harry let out a sigh of relief. He had felt nothing but shock at her previous action, but knew better than to not trust her.

After that, there was a blur of movements. Voldemort's body was being shifted by McGonagall to the Great Hall where the ritual was to be performed. Harry and Luna stayed by Hermione's side while Neville and Kingsley went to get Snape's body. Mr. Weasley went to alert the ones present in the Great Hall. He rearranged the beds to shift to one side of the Hall to provide space for others.

Everyone present at Hogwarts was asked to assemble at the Hall. They were shocked to find Voldemort's lifeless body being levitated in front of them near the Staff table followed by Neville and Kingsley, bringing with them the body of Severus Snape. McGonagall carelessly placed the corpse on the floor whereas Snape's was placed with a little more care by Harry. McGonagall stood on the podium to speak. The Great Hall went silent.

"This is to inform you that a particular ritual needs to be performed for the Greater Good. Miss Granger here has to carry out a task, for which we need the blood of three people; the one who deceived the Dark Lord, the one who rebelled against the Dark Lord and one who was forced to accept the Dark Lord. We have found the first two, but we need the third person. Anyone here who has been forced to join the Dark Lord and wish to contribute for the Greater Good, please come forward."

There was a rush amongst the crowd. Every death eater present wanted to show that they were compelled to join. Some even tripped on their robes and fell with a thud as no one volunteered to help them. The most pleasing sight was Lucius Malfoy, in an attempt to get to the podium pushed Seamus, which in turn led to his arse catching fire. (Don't ask how. Seamus's wand has to sort out its priorities!)

McGonagall silenced everyone and cleared her throat.

"This is a very sensitive ritual and requires the truth. All of you please step away from the podium."

All but one stepped back. The teenage figure stood firmly and refused to back down, declaring that he was most appropriate as per the description.

Harry looked at his sorry grey eyes and could see the truth in them. He turned towards Hermione and she gave him a nod, conveying her approval.

"Yes, you may take the Third place Malfoy."


	5. Ron's Challenge

_**Firstly, Thank you Philosophize, Anotherboarduser, Artur Hawkwing 1, discb, Onyx Obsidian, Nigelcat1 and Saki-Hime for your encouragement... Lots of love to you guys...**_

 _ **Secondly, Philosophize, the term only requires "The one who was forced"... No add-ons... I don't think Narcissa had been forced to join back when she was young and becoming a death eater was a trend. But Draco was a form of punishment for the Mayfoy family. I don't intend to show Draco as a hero here. I just want to convey his one action to show that he didn't support Voldy in the end... That's all...**_

 _ **Ok, here comes the next chapter.. Hope you guys like it...**_

 _ **Again, I do not own Harry Potter. I'm just a fan...**_

Draco Malfoy stepped forward and stood beside Neville and his Godfather's body. McGonagall gestured towards Hermione to take over the podium. Harry nodded his encouragement and Hermione smiled at him. She stood at the podium and cleared her throat.

"Many of you must have heard the tale of the three brothers. For those who're not aware: there were once three brothers who tricked Death's plan. With evil motive, Death granted each of them a gift. The eldest brother asked for the greatest wand, the younger asked to see his loved one who had passed away and the youngest brother asked for a way to go unnoticed by Death. So, Death gave them an Elder wand, resurrection stone and cloak of invisibility. Together they make the Deathly hallows. These three items are real, that is they exist. And Harry is the owner of all the three."

There were loud gasps of surprise and the Great hall burst with loud whispering.

"Please, let me continue... Death is not evil. He's a servant of fate and justice. He wrote a book with instructions to counter the method of injustice imposed by a mortal. Since Voldemort was once a mortal named Tom Marvolo Riddle, this book contains instructions to defy him and humiliate him. We have to perform this task to bring about the Greater Good. So, who's with me?"

Without a moments hesitation, the whole Weasley clan(minus Ron) stepped forward. Then slowly, the Great Hall cheered their encouragement.

"Thank you all for your support. I can guarantee that this will not disappoint you. Now, before I start, I must inform you about Professor Snape. He is the bravest man of Hogwarts. He did not kill Dumbledore; it had been planned."

Everyone looked at Hermione as if she'd asked them to tango with acromantulas. She quickly summoned Snape's memory and projected it on a big white screen she conjured. She showed them the part where Dumbledore planed his own death and also the part where he helped Harry. Realization dawned upon the audience and they looked at Snape's lifeless body with respect, some even shedding a tear or two. After giving them time to digest the information, Hermione spoke again.

"Now, let's get this done with. Love is the most powerful of all magic. Think about all your loved ones, the ones who have sacrificed their lives for our better future. I'll need all the emotions for this to be successful..."

Hermione stepped down from the podium and walked towards Voldemort's body. She summoned the resurrection stone and put it on Snape's dark mark. She scraped the stone against his skin till some amount of blood oozed out and touched the stone. She did the same with Neville's and Malfoy's wrists and healed them the next moment. She then placed the bloodied stone on Voldemort's forehead and started muttering some spells. She asked Harry for his invisibility cloak and placed it on Voldemort. She made some complex wand movement and with a final 'swish and flick' ended the ritual. The next second the elder wand snapped into three pieces and the stone turned to dust. The cloak was the only hallow that remained intact. Hermione stood inhumanly still with her eyes closed.

Suddenly she opened her eyes and after analyzing the scene in front of her, a smile formed at her lips. She found Harry standing at a distance and ran towards him.

"We did it Harry! The ritual was successful!"

The Great Hall sighed all at once. Harry let out his breath he didn't know he had been holding. Hermione launched herself onto his ready arms. She looked into his eyes, arms still around each other, their faces centimeters apart. Harry found himself leaning down as Hermione reached up.

"Now, we've truly won Harry. Death has gifted us with..."

"GET YOUR BLOODY HANDS OFF HER, POTTER!"

Everyone turned towards the voice and received yet another shock.

Voldermort was standing with his wand pointed towards the couple. Only those who were nearby noticed the blue eyes in place of Voldemort's.

"Ron?"

"Yes, it's me. I still exist."

"Ron, how did this happen?"

"I don't need to answer your questions. But still, I need to treasure the moment where I know the answer to Hermione Granger's question. Well, I did the same thing you had done with the book. I touched both, the book and the body, at the same time. That's it, enough talking ."

The next second Ron grabbed Hermione, there was a loud crack and he disappeared, along with her and a loud voice erupted.

"Listen, Harry Potter. We are no longer friends. HA HA! But I guess you've figured that out. I now possess a few powers of the Dark Lord. You no longer have the elder wand. Let's see how you win against me. You have twenty four hours to try and take Hermione from me. If you fail, you'll never see her again..."

"NO! HERMIONE! NOOO!"

There was no use shouting. Harry felt helpless. He didn't know what to do. He hid his face in his hands and tried to think. The whole castle came to a standstill. Everyone looked horrified. Mrs. Weasley started sobbing uncontrollably. Mr. Weasley shook his head and started muttering, "that's not my son".

"We never thought Ron could ever do that."

Harry looked up to find George standing next to him. "Don't worry Harry, we're with you. We won't rest until we find her. We owe her big."

Harry wanted to thank him but almost stumbled backwards at what he saw.

Mrs. Weasley let out a surprised scream as everyone noticed...

The George standing next to Harry had two ears...

 _ **A/N: I would appreciate if you could PM me ideas regarding where Ron could have taken Hermione. And please please please please please please please please please review...**_


	6. The gift of the Deathly Hallows

_**Sorry for the delay... Will try to upload sooner next time... I kind of faced a writer's block... Anyway...**_

 _ **Thank you Philosophize, Anotherboarduser, Artur Hawkwing 1, discb, Onyx Obsidian, Nigelcat1, Saki-Hime, Goundry, Debanjan B and Natalie for your encouragement... Lots of love to you guys...**_

 ** _Here goes the next chapter... Please R &R..._**

 ** _I do not own Harry Potter. I'm just a fan of our Queen..._**

* * *

Hermione opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. It looked like the interior of a very big cave. She was magical bound to the wall facing the entrance. Ron just left through the entrance without a word after he had given Harry the warning.

Hermione thought to herself about the past few days. Everything happened so quickly. The second Wizarding War had come to an end, with the light side victorious. She even performed the Deathly Hallow's ritual successfully. No wonder Voldemort tried to destroy the book; he had always feared the dead.

Death himself had spoken to Hermione and granted her with the knowledge from the book to extract the gift of life. He even informed her that she no longer had a family. Her parents were safe in Australia, but her strong memory charm had worked better than anticipated. Only the elder wand could have reversed the effect but it snapped during the ritual. And she couldn't have waited to perform the ritual as it had to be done within an hour of touching the book. At least they were safe, Hermione thought to herself. Maybe she'll come up with a stronger spell in future.

But now she was stuck here, waiting for Harry to find her. Harry… the thought of him being alive and safe brought a smile to her face even during such a situation. Seeing his lifeless body in the arms of Hagrid had made her realize how much she loved him. Her heart had almost shattered thinking that Harry was gone…. Just like that. The only thing that stopped her from taking her own life then and there was the fact that she wouldn't let his death be in vain. She swore on his name that she will die fighting, taking as many death eaters with her. Or maybe even Voldemort himself.

If only she had revealed her feeling to him back then. If Harry couldn't find her within a day, Merlin knows what Ron would do with her. She would regret only one thing: she couldn't tell Harry that she was in love with him. She didn't care whether he reciprocated her feelings or not. She just wanted him to know. But that wasn't going to happen if she were to be stuck here!

Hermione tried to move, yanking at her wrists and kicking her legs, but in vain. As her right leg hit the wall behind her, she felt something solid and long inside her socks. It was her wand! She still had her wand! Now, all she had to do was somehow trick Ron into removing her entrapment. Then she could reach for her wand. So, Hermione came up with a plan.

* * *

 _ **The Great Hall**_

Meanwhile, everyone at the Great Hall was highly confused. It took five whole minute for Harry to realize what was happening while Molly Weasley rushed to the front.

"FRED! Oh my boy! You're back!"

"Of course! I didn't want your last memory of me to be about you pushing me aside to hug Percy!"

Mrs. Weasley chuckled through her tears while engulfing Fred in a hug while he patted her back reassuringly. George (the real one) came up to his twin and slapped his back.

"You scared the crap outta me Gred!"

"Well Feorge, enough chit chat. We have to kick our brother's arse and rescue the damsel from distress. You alright there Harry?"

At last, Harry could form coherent words and spoke up.

"How can you be back? Don't get me wrong, I'm extremely happy that you are here... But how?"

"What do you think the ritual was about? Hermione brought us back!"

"What do you mean by 'us'?"

"Wotchers Harry! Stop ignoring us... We have feelings you know..."

Harry turned and found his jaw almost hitting the ground. Many figures were apparating in front of him from nowhere and he found himself face to face with Tonks, her werewolf husband and Padfoot, when the third person spoke.

"You know Harry, that expression is not going to help you woo Hermione after you rescue her."

"I never thought I'd EVER agree with anything said by Sirius Black."

Even Nagini hadn't widened her mouth as much for biting the man currently standing next to Harry's godfather as Harry's mouth was right now. Before Harry had to be taken to Madam Pomfrey to fix his jaws, Professor McGonagall came forward and performed a few spells to detect any form of dark magic involvement, since she seemed to be the only one with exceptional recovery-from-shock quality.

More figures appeared at the Great Hall. Bill had rushed to the room where the bodies of the warriors had been laid to rest and found them disappearing one by one. There were tears of joy being shed for the reunited families.

Lupin stood on the podium and cast a sonorous charm before speaking.

"I know that you all are overwhelmed due to the current occurrence. Yes, we're all happy to be back. There are many who are still on the way. But, the person responsible for all this, is in danger right now and we need to bring her back. Without Hermione, all this wouldn't have been possible. Yes, we might have been victorious, but what's the point of victory which accompanies such a huge loss. So, I request all the uninjured to help us find her."

Cheers and encouragement erupted from the crowd, which prompted Lupin to continue.

"Now, we must first form a search team. We have to look at places where Ron could have possibly taken Hermione. Those who are up for the task, please come to the front."

There was some amount of scuffling amongst the crowd. The whole Weasley clan, Neville, Luna, Creevey brothers, Mrs. Longbottom, Dean, Seamus, Patil twins and Kingsley stepped forward. Even Snape and Malfoy stepped forward, the former eventually breaking the silence.

"The Dark Lord is definitely dead. Mr. Weasley has possessed his body, not his brain. Therefore, I suggest we think of places that _he_ would come up with for hiding."

"Well, our Ronnekins would come up with the lamest, most predictable hiding place. He might even be within this castle right now."

"I agree with you Mr. Weasley. Our first step would be to search the castle. I don't know why I'm back. But I must say, I did miss lemon drops!"

The whole Hall went silent as the saw the sight before them. Albus Dumbledore was standing beside Fred, who almost broke his neck trying to turn towards the speaker.

"Albus! Is it really you? But how…"

"Well Minerva, as much as I would like to wipe those uncharacteristic tears from your cheeks and give all of you a proper explanation, I think we have a more important matter to attend. Kingsley, if you're done staring at me like I'm a masterpiece, I would like you to lead a search group around the castle. Severus, I suggest you take a team down the dungeons. Sirius, Remus and Tonks can lead a group to the grounds. Take Hagrid with you as well."

Everyone started forming search groups to look for Hermione. After a lot of struggle, and imposing pain on toes within the crowd, Rubius Hargrid came forward. Due to this, everyone missed the 'thunk-thunk' sound coming their way.

"Potter! Any idea where I could find my eye?"

"Moody!"

Tonks almost toppled over a bundle of wool to reach Mad-eye and hugged him. For once, Alastor didn't cast his impostor-detecting charm, which caught Sirius's attention.

"What happened to CONSTANT VIGILANCE?"

"Well, sometimes you can't help being a sentimental fool."

Speaking of sentimental fools, the bundle of wool got up and faced Harry.

"Harry Potter's Weezey take his Grangy away? Harry Potter need only ask once."

"DOBBY!"

After all this time, that was the first word Harry could speak.

"What do you mean Dobby?"

"Dobby can find Miss Grangy if Harry Potter asks Dobby to!"

"Can you do that Dobby? Please find Hermione and Ron. Bring them both here."

Dobby bowed low and disapparated with a crack.

"But why both of them Harry?"

Harry turned towards the tearful Mrs. Weasley and replied with full honesty.

"I'm not losing my first ever friend that easily. Everyone deserves a second chance."

The Hall went silent yet again as everyone waited patiently for the elf's return…

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 _ **A/N: Please please please please please review... Will update soon...**_


	7. Guardianship

_**I know... Worst Story Updater Award goes to me... Really Sorry for the inexcusable delay... Exams, exams and exams...**_

 _ **Thank you Philosophize, Anotherboarduser, Artur Hawkwing 1, discb, Onyx Obsidian, Nigelcat1, Saki-Hime, Goundry, Debanjan B, Natalie, Mini pony lover, dem bones and guests for your encouragement... Lots of love to you guys... You guys rock!**_

 ** _Here goes the next chapter... Please R &R..._**

 ** _I do not own Harry Potter. I'm just a fan of our Queen..._**

* * *

 _ **Somewhere in a cave**_

Hermione could hear footsteps nearby. She looked up to see Ron, back in his original form, walking towards her.

"Ron.. Please.. Why are you doing this?"

"I should be asking you the same. Why are you doing this? Why not me? You know I love you."

Hermione tried to discreetly accio her wand. She wasn't expertly able in wandless magic, but tried her best to stall Ron enough to concentrate.

"I loved you Ron, but as a friend. The kiss... I thought we would die... And it made me realize that we're not meant to be. Ron, stop this madness. You know deep down that you don't love me either."

"But why Harry? I'm not famous or rich enough for you?"

"Ron, you know I don't care about those petty attributes. I love Harry for who he is. I just realized that I've fallen in love with him. I love you too Ron, just not like him..."

The slap Ron placed on her cheek echoed loudly within the cave.

"You are mine. Do you understand? YOU ARE MINE! You cannot escape from me."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Ronald."

"Oh really? I don't see your Chosen One in shining armour anywhere..."

"You forgot Weasley..."

Within seconds Hermione's bonds had broken and she pointed her wand directly at Ron's chest.

"I'm not a damsel in distress."

Hermione petrified Ron and tied him up for good measure. She grabbed her beaded bag and was about to figure out how to break the anti-apparition ward when a resounding 'crack' was heard. Hermione turned towards the source and found herself knocked out of breath by an object wound around her waist!

"Dobby!"

"Dobby has come to take Harry Potter's Grangy back to Harry Potter!"

Hermione gently returned the hug and placed a kiss on top of Dobby's head which caused his blush to rival his red woolen hat! Dobby grabbed her hand and took hold of Ron's tied up body and they disappeared with another 'crack'.

 _ **At the Hall**_

Harry was pacing back and forth. 'What's taking Dobby so long?' Harry almost tore his hair in desperation.

'Crack'

There, in front of him, stood Hermione with her wand pointed towards Ron's stiff and tied body while holding Dobby's arm.

"Harry!"

He ran towards her and wrapped her in his arms.

"Gods Hermione! You have no idea how worried I was. I was devastated. I didn't know what to do. I would have gone mad... hmph!"

Hermione placed a hand on Harry's mouth and smiled through her tears.

"Harry, I have to tell you something. I don't think I will be able to forgive myself if I don't let you know how much I… I..."

Hermione started shivering frantically. Her eyes went wide and she let out a horrified scream.

"Hermione, what's wrong?"

Harry felt her fall limp in his arms. He tried to shake her unconscious form but to no avail. He looked past her and found Ron standing with his wand pointed at Hermione's back.

"Don't look so shocked Potter. I have Voldemort's power running in me. Let's see how you save her now."

"YOU BASTARD! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER?"

"Figure it out yourself. By the way, this isn't over."

With that, Ron disapparated away.

Harry sat down on the floor cradling Hermione in his arms. Her skin was turning into a tinge of sickly green.

"Harry Potter must find Dark Lord's body first."

Harry looked up towards Dobby reluctantly and asked him why.

"Weezy is not the real Weezy. Weezy has dark magic in head. Harry Potter much come with Dobby to save Weezy."

"I can't just leave her like this."

"It's ok Harry. Miss Granger will be fine."

Harry looked straight at those twinkling, piercing blue eyes.

"Promise?"

"I swear. Now Severus, you know the procedure. Detect and contain, then provide the solution. I'll accompany Harry with Minerva, Kingsley and Alastor, just in case. Rest of you may go take rest or try to find your families."

Harry placed Hermione on a conjured cot. With a nod towards Snape, he left with Dobby and the group. The Weasleys, Lupins, Sirius, Snape and Hagrid remained in the Hall. Neville and Luna, along with Mrs. Longbottom, helped the others to find beds or portkey to their homes.

Snape set to work, muttering incantations and making complex wand movements. Suddenly, he stepped back looking worried.

"What did you find Snape?" Sirius asked with as much civility he could muster. After all, old habits die hard…

"Sanguinem curse!"

"In English, Snivellus."

"Severus?"

Every pair of eyes turned towards the couple who had just entered the Great Hall. The man looked like an older version of Harry while the woman had flaming red hair and emerald green eyes.

"Lily?"

"Severus!"

Lily Potter ran and wrapped her arms around Severus Snape. It was an unusual sight to behold.

"Oh you brave brave man! I can never thank you enough for looking after my son. Oh Severus, I'm so sorry..."

After standing like a titanium statue over-petrified by a basilisk, Snape patted her back awkwardly.

"Great! How come I'm not getting hugged by hot intelligent women?"

"Well Padfoot, do you want me to patronus call Minerva?"

"Do that and you'll be missing your antlers, Prongs."

"Guys, give it a rest."

"You stay out of this..."

"Yeah, stop being a lunar eclipse!"

"ENOUGH! James! Be serious!"

"No way, he can never be as sexy as me..."

"SIRIUS!"

"Alright alright! Sni..Severus, please tell us what's wrong with Hermione and how to cure her."

"She's been hit with an ancient blood curse. Only a pureblood can cast it and it poisons the blood not protected by the magic of one's parents. Since both her parents are muggles, Miss Granger is in danger. She needs to be bond to a magical person. A husband or a guardian."

"Ok, problem solved. I, James Potter, hereby undertake the guardianship of..."

Sirius lunged towards James and knocked him to the ground before he could utter another word.

"What the..."

"Sirius did the right thing... for once.."

"What do you mean Lily? I was helping my son's best friend for heaven's sake!"

"Umm... James... If you took up her guardianship, she would be your daughter. And that would make her Harry's...?"

"Sister. So?"

"I don't think Harry would want that..."

"Why not? She's been by his side for 7 year... Through thick and thin. Why wouldn't he want her as a part of his family?"

James Potter looked thoroughly bewildered, Lily was exasperated and Sirius looked amused.

"Really Lily, you chose this guy as your husband?"

"You know Sev, I'm actually reconsidering..."

"Ok fine! I will just let her die then!"

"That won't happen. I, Severus Tobias Snape, hereby undertake the guardian of Miss Hermione Jean Granger. She is to be my heir and I swear to take her under my protection as her father. So mote it be."

A flash of white light was emitted from Snape's wand which engulfed Hermione's body. Her condition improved drastically and her breathing turned normal.

"Oh! OH! You mean, Harry is in love with her?"

"Happy late realization Prongs! And congratulations..."

"For what?"

"Your future daughter-in-law is a SNAPE!"

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 _ **A/N: Pleaaaaaaassseeeeee Review... I'll give you a cupcake ;-)**_


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